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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: racket · fall · kid · ball · mate · squash · stand · wind

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. kid — to tease
  3. mate — a friend
  4. kid — child
  5. wind — moving air
  6. fall — to drop
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. squash — to crush
  9. ball — a great time
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. mate — a partner
  12. wind — moving air
  13. fall — to drop
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. mate — to breed
  19. fall — the season
  20. stand — to bear
  21. ball — a dance
  22. squash — the sport
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. ball — a round shape

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com